Editorial: October 2016

Date: October 27 2016

It’s felt like there’s been a very long party running for much of the last month – and it’s showing no sign of slowing down.

Ngā Aho Whakaari, the NZ Cinematographers Society, Show Me Shorts and Uni Shorts have all handed out gongs recently. We’ve been honoured to have been invited to some of those events and, in return for the free drinks and good times, we’ve put together a liberal sprinkling of photos of cheery folk for this issue.

There have also been winners at the City Finals of this year’s HP48Hours competition and NZ content has continued to pick up selections, nominations and awards elsewhere too.

Through November the fun continues with the 48Hours Grand Finals, the NZ Web Fest and SPADA all ready to hand out their own gongs. In and amongst those celebrations, the guilds are warming up the mince pies, mulled wine and mistletoe as they crank up their Christmas parties. Amid all that fun and with the help of the occasional hair of the Berocca, there’s still plenty of production cranking along – not least in the South Island, where The Changeover is wrapping its shoot and Wanted is continuing.

There’s an old saw that to be a writer you need to write a million words. As someone who writes well over that number each year, I can tell you that not every old saw works, but the underlying premise is fair enough.

Practice makes, if not perfect, some bloody good work. Ginny Loane didn’t get to be cinematographer of the year for some lucky shots on Mahana. Ned Wenlock didn’t dash off a few doodles and walk off with Oscar qualification for Spring Jam at Show Me Shorts. Nicole Hoey didn’t have a few good days at the office and slip away with a Māori Screen Award gong for Cinco Cine.

They all won for doing their jobs really well, day in and day out. Screen production has never been a business for sprinters – as this month’s pieces on Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa’s Three Wise Cousins and Roseanne Liang’s Do No Harm evidence.

Talking about the development of his new production software KAHA Bailey Mackey said that every day either he won, or he learned. There’s many a day when we all learn, so we’re very pleased to have the opportunity this month to celebrate some winners.

Charge your glasses.

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Written by Keith Barclay

Keith is the editor of SCREENZ, and the co-creator and founding editor of CREWED.